KR20020065934A - Image display device, method of manufacture thereof, and apparatus for charging sealing material - Google Patents

Abstract

The vacuum case 10 of the image display device has a rear substrate 12 and a front substrate 11 that are disposed to face each other, and sidewalls 18 formed between these substrates. The phosphor screen 16 is formed on the inner surface of the front substrate, and the electron emission element 22 is formed on the back substrate. An indium layer 32 is formed between the front substrate and the sidewalls. Indium is melted in vacuo such that the front and back substrates are bonded to each other with sidewalls therebetween.

Description

IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE, METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF, AND APPARATUS FOR CHARGING SEALING MATERIAL}

BACKGROUND ART In recent years, development of a display device in which a plurality of electron emission elements (hereinafter referred to as emitters) are disposed as a light weight and thin flat display device and is disposed opposite to a fluorescent surface has been developed. As an emitter, an element of a field emission type or surface conduction type can be assumed. In general, a display device using a field emission type electron emission device as an emitter is a field emission display (hereinafter referred to as a FED), and a display device using a surface conduction type electron emission device as an emitter is a surface conduction type. It is called an electron emission display (hereinafter referred to as SED).

For example, a FED generally has a front substrate and a back substrate which are disposed to face each other with a predetermined gap, and these substrates are bonded to each other through a rectangular frame-shaped side wall to form a vacuum case. Consists of. Phosphor screens are formed on the inner surface of the front substrate, and a plurality of emitters are formed on the inner surface of the rear substrate as electron emission sources for exciting and emitting phosphors. In addition, in order to support the atmospheric load applied to the back substrate and the front substrate, a plurality of support members are disposed between these substrates.

The potential on the back substrate side is almost 0 V, and the anode voltage Va is applied to the fluorescent surface. The red, green, and blue phosphors constituting the phosphor screen are irradiated with an electron beam emitted from the emitter, and the phosphor is emitted to display an image.

In such a FED, the gap between the front substrate and the back substrate can be set to several mm or less, and the weight and thickness can be achieved as compared with the cathode ray tube (CRT) currently used as a television or computer display.

In the above-described flat panel display, it is necessary to maintain the vacuum degree inside the vacuum case at, for example, 10 ⁻⁵ to 10 ⁻⁶ Pa. In the conventional exhaust process, the surface adsorption gas inside the case is discharged by a baking process of heating the vacuum case to about 300 ° C., but this exhaust method cannot sufficiently release the surface adsorption gas.

For this reason, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-82245, for example, covers a metal back formed on a phosphor screen of a front substrate with a getter material made of Ti, Zr or an alloy thereof. The flat panel display device of the structure which comprises the said getter material, the structure which forms the metal back itself from the above getter material, or the above getter material in the part other than an electron emission element in an image display area is described.

However, in the image display device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-82245, since the getter material is formed by a normal panel process, the surface of the getter material naturally becomes oxidized. Since the getter material is particularly important in the degree of surface activity, a satisfactory gas adsorption effect cannot be obtained in the surface oxidized getter material.

As a method of increasing the degree of vacuum inside the vacuum case, the back substrate, the side wall, and the front substrate are placed in a vacuum apparatus, baked in a vacuum atmosphere, and subjected to electron beam irradiation to release the surface adsorption gas, thereby forming a getter film. In the vacuum atmosphere in the can be considered a method for sealing the side wall, the back substrate and the front substrate using frit glass or the like. According to this method, the surface adsorption gas can be sufficiently discharged by electron beam cleaning, and the getter film is also not oxidized and a sufficient gas adsorption effect can be obtained. In addition, since the exhaust pipe is unnecessary, the space of the image display device is not wasted in vain.

However, when sealing using frit glass in vacuum, it is necessary to heat the frit glass to a high temperature of 400 ° C. or higher, at which time a large number of bubbles are generated from the frit glass, and the airtightness, sealing strength, etc. of the vacuum case deteriorate. There is a problem that reliability decreases. In addition, in view of the characteristics of the electron-emitting device, it may be better to avoid the high temperature of 400 ° C or higher, and in this case, the method of sealing using frit glass is not preferable.

The present invention relates to a flat planar image display device having a vacuum case, a method of manufacturing the image display device, and a sealing material filling device.

1 is a perspective view showing an FED according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1.

3 is a plan view showing a phosphor screen of the FED.

4 is a perspective view showing a state in which an indium layer is formed on a sealing surface of a front substrate constituting the vacuum case of the FED.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the front substrate and the rear substrate-side wall assembly in which the indium layer is formed on the sealing portion are disposed to face each other.

Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a vacuum processing apparatus used for producing the FED.

7 is a sectional view showing an assembly chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a modification in which an indium layer is formed in a groove formed on the sealing surface of the front substrate.

9 is a sectional view showing an FED according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10A is a perspective view showing a state in which a base layer and an indium layer are formed on a sealing surface of sidewalls forming the vacuum case of the FED.

Fig. 10B is a perspective view showing a state in which a base layer and an indium layer are formed on the sealing surface of the front substrate constituting the vacuum case of the FED.

11 is a perspective view showing a sealing material filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a step of filling indium on the sealing surface of the front substrate by the above-mentioned sealing material filling device.

Fig. 13 is a state diagram showing a state where the rear substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate, on which the base layer and the indium layer are formed, are opposed to each other at the bonding portion.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view showing a state in which a base layer and an indium layer are formed on the sealing surface of the front substrate in the step of forming a vacuum case of the FED according to the modification of the second embodiment.

15 is a sectional view showing an FED according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 16A is a plan view showing a state where a base layer and an indium layer are formed on a sealing surface of a front substrate constituting a vacuum case of an FED according to the third embodiment.

16B is an enlarged plan view of the pattern of the indium layer.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing a state in which a base layer and an indium layer are formed on the sealing surface of the front substrate.

Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the front substrate and the back side assembly, on which the base layer and the indium layer are formed, are disposed facing the sealing portion.

19A to 19D are plan views schematically showing modified examples of the pattern of the indium layer formed on the sealing portion.

20A to 20D are plan views schematically showing other modified examples of the pattern of the indium layer formed on the sealing portion.

21 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a base layer and an indium layer are formed on a sealing surface of a front substrate in a process of forming a vacuum case of an FED according to another embodiment of the present invention.

This invention is made | formed in view of the above point, The objective is to provide the image display apparatus, its manufacturing method, and sealing material filling apparatus which can seal a case easily and are maintained by high vacuum inside.

In order to achieve the above object, an image display apparatus according to the present invention comprises a case having a back substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite the back substrate, and a plurality of electron emission elements formed in the case, wherein the front substrate and the The back substrate is sealed directly or indirectly by a low melting metal sealing material at the periphery.

According to the image display device according to the present invention, the melting point of the low melting point metal sealing material is preferably 350 ° C or lower. In addition, it is preferable to use indium or an alloy containing indium as the low melting point metal sealing material.

A manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to the present invention is a manufacturing method of an image display apparatus comprising a case having a back substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite the back substrate, and a plurality of electron emission elements formed in the case. Arranging a low melting metal sealing material along a sealing surface between the back substrate and the front substrate, heating the back substrate and the front substrate in a vacuum atmosphere, and melting the low melting metal sealing material to cause the back substrate and the And a step of directly or indirectly sealing the front substrate.

Moreover, according to the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus of this invention, it is preferable that melting | fusing point of a low melting metal sealing material is 350 degrees C or less. The low melting metal sealing material is preferably indium or an alloy containing indium. Moreover, it is preferable to make the vacuum degree of a vacuum atmosphere into 10 <^-3> Pa or less.

According to the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus of this invention, the said sealing process is the exhaust process which heats and exhausts the said atmospheric | air atmosphere to the temperature of 250 degreeC or more, and the sealing surface between the said front substrate and the said back substrate after the said exhaust process, Sealing with the low melting point metal sealing material at a lower temperature than the exhausting step; and returning the case sealed with the low melting point metal sealing material to atmospheric pressure. And the sealing by the said low melting metal sealing material can be performed at the temperature of 60-300 degreeC.

Further, according to the manufacturing method of the image display device according to the present invention, after the low melting point metal material is disposed on the sealing surface between the front substrate and the rear substrate in the sealing step, the front substrate and the rear substrate are moved relatively. Seal. Here, the direction of relative movement may be any direction in three-dimensional space, and may be a direction to which both distance approaches. In addition, not only one of the front substrate and the back substrate may be moved, but both may be moved.

Furthermore, in the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus which concerns on this invention, the holding part which hold | maintains a low melting metal sealing material is formed in at least one of the sealing surface between the said front board | substrate and the back board | substrate, and the said low melting point Place the metal sealing material.

It is preferable that it is a layer which consists of the groove | channel formed in the sealing surface, or the material with high affinity with the low melting-point metal sealing material formed in the sealing surface as said holding part. The material having high affinity with the low melting point metal sealing material is preferably nickel, gold, silver, copper or an alloy thereof.

According to the image display device and the manufacturing method of the present invention configured as described above, by using the low melting point metal sealing material, the front substrate and the back substrate constituting the case can be sealed in a vacuum atmosphere, and the electron emission formed on the back substrate It can seal at low temperature (temperature below 300 degreeC) which does not thermally damage an element etc. Moreover, the structure for exhaust which was essential in the conventional manufacturing method, for example, an exhaust pipe, etc. becomes unnecessary, and exhaust efficiency becomes very favorable.

Therefore, it is possible to obtain a flat-panel image display device having a case in which the inside is maintained at a high vacuum degree and in which image deterioration due to thermal deterioration of the electron emission element or the like is prevented.

On the other hand, another image display apparatus according to the present invention includes a case having a back substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite the back substrate, and a plurality of image display elements formed inside the case, wherein the front substrate and the back substrate are provided. Is formed on the base layer and the base layer and is directly or indirectly sealed by the base layer and the heterogeneous metal sealant layer.

In addition, another image display apparatus according to the present invention includes a case having a back substrate, a front substrate disposed opposite to the back substrate, a side wall disposed between the periphery of the front substrate and the periphery of the back substrate, and And a plurality of image display elements formed therein, wherein at least one of the front substrate and the side wall, and the rear substrate and the side wall is formed on the base layer and the base layer, and is formed on the base layer and the heterogeneous metal encapsulant layer. It is sealed by.

The manufacturing method of the image display apparatus which concerns on this invention is a manufacturing method of the image display apparatus provided with the vacuum substrate which has a back substrate and the front substrate arrange | positioned facing this back substrate, and the some image display element formed inside the said case. Forming a base layer along a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate; superimposing the base layer and a heterogeneous metal encapsulant layer on the base layer; and forming the back substrate and the front substrate. A step of heating in a vacuum atmosphere and melting the metal sealant layer to seal the back substrate and the front substrate directly or indirectly is provided.

In the image display device and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, a low melting point metal material having a melting point of 350 ° C. or lower is used as the metal sealing material, for example, an indium or an alloy containing indium is used. . In addition, the base layer is preferably a material having good wettability and airtightness with respect to the metal sealing material, that is, a material having a high affinity, and a metal paste containing silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and copper, silver , Metal plating layer or vapor deposition film containing at least one of gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt and copper, or a glass material is used.

According to the image display device and the manufacturing method thereof configured as described above, by sealing the front substrate and the back substrate directly or indirectly by using a metal sealing material layer, sealing is performed at a low temperature that does not cause thermal damage to an electron emission element formed on the back substrate. can do. In addition, as in the case of using frit glass, many bubbles do not occur, and the airtightness and sealing strength of the vacuum case can be improved. At the same time, by forming the metal sealing material layer and the heterogeneous base layer, even when the metal sealing material melts at the time of sealing and the viscosity becomes low, the flow of the metal sealing material can be prevented and retained in the predetermined position by the base layer. Therefore, the image display apparatus which can handle easily, and can seal easily and reliably in a vacuum atmosphere, and its manufacturing method can be obtained.

On the other hand, the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus which concerns on this invention is a manufacturing method of the image display apparatus provided with the case which has a back substrate and the front substrate arrange | positioned facing this back substrate, and the some image display element formed inside the said case. The method of claim 1, wherein the sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate is filled with a molten metal sealing material while applying ultrasonic waves, and after the metal sealing material is filled, the metal sealing material is heated and melted in a vacuum atmosphere. And a step of directly or indirectly sealing the back substrate and the front substrate on the sealing surface.

Further, another method of manufacturing an image display device according to the present invention is a rear substrate, a front substrate disposed opposite to the rear substrate, a peripheral portion of the front substrate and a peripheral portion of the rear substrate, and disposed between the front substrate and the rear substrate. A case having a sidewall sealed to the case, and a plurality of image display elements formed inside the case, wherein at least one of a sealing surface between the front substrate and the sidewall and a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the sidewall are formed of a metal sealing material. In the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus sealed by the layer, The said metal sealing material in a vacuum atmosphere after the process of filling the said at least one sealing surface with the melted metal sealing material, applying an ultrasonic wave, and the said metal sealing material filling. Heating to melt and sealing the back substrate, the front substrate and the sidewalls from the sealing surface. It is.

In addition, according to the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus according to the present invention, the step of filling the metal sealing material is continuously filled with the molten metal sealing material along the sealing surface while applying an ultrasonic wave, the metal extending along the sealing surface The process of forming a sealing material layer is included.

Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus which concerns on this invention, the process of forming the said metal sealing material and a heterogeneous base layer on the said sealing surface is provided, After forming the said base layer, on this base layer, Fill the metal seal.

In the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus which concerns on the said invention, as the said metal sealing material, the low melting-point metal material which has melting | fusing point of 350 degrees C or less is used, for example, indium or the alloy containing indium is used. In addition, the base layer is preferably a material having good wettability and airtightness with respect to the metal sealing material, that is, a material having high affinity. The metal paste containing at least one of silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt and copper, and silver , Metal plating layer or vapor deposition film containing at least one of gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt and copper, or a glass material is used.

According to the manufacturing method of the image display device configured as described above, by sealing the front substrate and the back substrate directly or indirectly using a metal sealing material layer, it is possible to seal at a low temperature that does not cause thermal damage to the electron emission element formed on the back substrate. Can be. Moreover, many bubbles do not generate | occur | produce like the case where frit glass is used, and the airtightness and sealing strength of a vacuum case can be improved. In addition, when the metal sealing material is filled to the sealing surface, by filling the metal sealing material while applying ultrasonic waves, the wettability of the metal sealing material on the sealing surface is improved, and even when indium or the like is used as the metal sealing material, the metal sealing material is placed in a desired position. It becomes possible to charge favorably. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus which can be sealed easily and reliably in a vacuum atmosphere can be obtained.

Further, when the molten metal sealant is continuously filled along the sealing surface, by filling the molten metal sealing material while applying ultrasonic waves, it becomes possible to form a seamlessly extending metal sealing material layer along the sealing surface.

After forming the said metal sealing material and a heterogeneous base layer on the sealing surface, by filling the said metal sealing material on this base layer, even when the filled metal sealing material is heated and melt | dissolved at the time of sealing, metal sealing by a base layer It can prevent the flow of material and hold it in place. Therefore, handling is easy and it can seal easily and reliably in a vacuum atmosphere. In particular, by filling the metal sealing material while applying ultrasonic waves, part of the metal sealing material diffuses into the base layer at the time of filling, thereby forming an alloy layer. Therefore, during sealing, the flow of the metal sealing material is more reliably prevented at a predetermined position. I can hold it.

In the process of filling the said metal sealing material, the discharge amount of a metal sealing material can be suppressed by either the oscillation output of the said ultrasonic wave or the discharge hole diameter of a metal sealing material.

On the other hand, the sealing material filling device according to the present invention is a sealing material filling device for filling a sealing surface with a metal sealing material in the manufacture of an image display device, a support for positioning and supporting a sealed object having the sealing surface, A filling head having a reservoir for storing a metal sealant, a nozzle for filling the sealing surface with the molten metal sealing material sent from the reservoir, and an ultrasonic generator for applying ultrasonic waves to the molten metal sealing material filled from the nozzle to the sealing surface And a head moving mechanism for moving the filling head relative to the sealing surface.

Further, another image display device according to the present invention is a case having a rear substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite to the rear substrate and sealed directly or indirectly to the rear substrate by a metal sealant, and inside the case. And a plurality of formed image display elements, wherein the metal sealing material is formed on a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate, and forms a metal sealing material layer extending over the entire circumference of the sealing surface. The metal sealing material layer has a bent portion or a curved portion in at least part of the portion extending along the straight portion of the sealing surface.

Further, another image display device according to the present invention is a case having a rear substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite to the rear substrate and sealed directly or indirectly to the rear substrate by a metal sealant, and inside the case. And a plurality of formed image display elements, wherein the metal sealing material is formed on a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate, and forms a metal sealing material layer extending over the entire circumference of the sealing surface. The metal sealing material layer has a side edge having irregularities in at least a part of the portion extending along the straight portion of the sealing surface.

On the other hand, the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus which concerns on this invention is a case which has a back substrate and the front substrate arrange | positioned facing this back substrate and sealed directly or indirectly to the said back substrate by the metal sealing material, In the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus provided with the some image display element formed in the inside, The metal sealing material is filled in the sealing surface between the said back substrate and the said front substrate, and the metal sealing material extended over the perimeter of this sealing surface. Forming a layer, and heating the metal sealant in a vacuum atmosphere after melting of the metal sealant, and sealing the back substrate and the front substrate directly or indirectly at the sealing surface. The process of filling a metal sealing material WHEREIN: The straight line of the said sealing surface in the said metal sealing material layer To thereby form a bent or curved portion to at least a portion of the elongated part.

In addition, another method of manufacturing an image display apparatus according to the present invention comprises the steps of filling a metal sealing material in a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate, and forming a metal sealing material layer extending over the entire circumference of the sealing surface; And after the metal sealing material is filled, heating and melting the metal sealing material in a vacuum atmosphere, and sealing the back substrate and the front substrate directly or indirectly at the sealing surface, and filling the metal sealing material. In the metal sealing material layer, the metal sealing material is filled such that at least a part of the portion extending along the straight portion of the sealing surface forms a side edge having irregularities.

In the image display device and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, a low melting point metal material having a melting point of 350 ° C. or lower is used as the metal sealing material, for example, an indium or an alloy containing indium is used.

According to the image display device and the manufacturing method thereof configured as described above, by sealing the front substrate and the back substrate directly or indirectly by using a metal sealing material layer, sealing is performed at a low temperature that does not cause thermal damage to an electron emission element formed on the back substrate. can do. In addition, as in the case where frit glass is used, many bubbles are not generated, and the airtightness and sealing strength of the vacuum case can be improved.

At the same time, at least a part of the metal sealant layer extending along the straight portion of the sealing surface has a bent portion or a curved portion. Alternatively, at least a part of the metal sealant layer extending along the straight portion of the sealing surface has side edges having irregularities. For this reason, even when a metal sealing material melts at the time of sealing, and viscosity becomes low, the flow of a metal sealing material can be suppressed and hold | maintained in a predetermined position by the unevenness | corrugation of the bent part, the curved part, or the side edge mentioned above. Therefore, the image display apparatus which can handle a metal sealing material easily, and can seal easily and reliably in a vacuum atmosphere, and its manufacturing method can be obtained.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment which applied the image display apparatus of this invention to FED is described in detail, referring drawings.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the FED has an insulated substrate, which comprises a front substrate 11 made of rectangular glass, and a back substrate 12, each of which has a gap of about 1.5 to 3.0 mm. They are placed opposite each other. In addition, the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12 constitute a flat rectangular vacuum case 10 in which peripheral edges are joined to each other with a sidewall 18 having a rectangular frame shape therebetween, and the inside of which is maintained in a vacuum state. Doing.

In the vacuum case 10, a plurality of support members 14 are formed to support the atmospheric loads applied to the rear substrate 12 and the front substrate 11. These support members 14 extend in the direction parallel to the long side of the vacuum case 10 and are arranged at predetermined intervals along the direction parallel to the short side. The shape of the support member 14 is not particularly limited to this, and a columnar support member may be used.

As shown in FIG. 3, a phosphor screen 16 is formed on the inner surface of the front substrate 11. The phosphor screen 16 is composed of phosphor layers R, G, and B that emit light in three colors of red, green, and blue, and a black light absorbing portion 20 in a matrix form. The support member 14 described above is positioned behind the black light absorbing portion 20.

On the phosphor screen 16, a metal back layer 17 made of a conductive thin film such as an Al film is formed. The metal back layer 17 reflects the light traveling in the direction of the back substrate 2 serving as the electron source among the light generated from the phosphor screen 16 to improve the brightness. In addition, the metal back layer 17 imparts conductivity to the image display region of the front substrate 11, thereby preventing charge from accumulating, and the anode electrode with respect to the electron emission source on the rear substrate 12, which will be described later. Plays a role. In addition, the gas remaining in the vacuum case 10 also has a function of preventing the phosphor screen 16 from being damaged by ions generated by ionization by an electron beam.

As shown in Fig. 2, on the inner surface of the back substrate 12, a plurality of field emission type electron emission devices 22 which emit electron beams as electron emission sources that excite the phosphor layers R, G, and B, respectively. ) Is formed. These electron emission elements 22 are arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows corresponding to each pixel, and function as pixel display elements in the present invention.

In detail, the conductive cathode layer 24 is formed on the inner surface of the back substrate 12, and the silicon dioxide film 26 having a plurality of cavities 25 is formed on the conductive cathode layer. On the silicon dioxide film 26, a gate electrode 28 made of molybdenum, niobium, or the like is formed. And on the inner surface of the back substrate 12, the conical electron emission element 22 which consists of molybdenum etc. is formed in each cavity 25. As shown in FIG. In addition, on the back substrate 12, matrix wirings and the like, which are connected to the electron emission elements 22, are formed.

In the FED configured as described above, the image signal is input to the electron emission element 22 and the gate electrode 28 formed in a simple matrix manner. In the case where the electron emission element 22 is used as a reference, when the brightness is the highest, a gate voltage of +100 V is applied. In addition, +10 Hz is applied to the phosphor screen 16. The size of the electron beam emitted from the electron emission element 22 is modulated according to the voltage of the gate electrode 28, and the electron beam excites the phosphor layer of the phosphor screen 16 to emit light to display an image.

Since a high voltage is applied to the phosphor screen 16 in this way, glass with high distortion point is used for the plate glass for the front board | substrate 11, the back board | substrate 12, the side wall 18, and the support member 14. As shown in FIG. In addition, as will be described later, the back substrate 12 and the side wall 18 are sealed by low melting glass 30 such as frit glass, and the front substrate 11 and the side wall 18 are sealed on the sealing surface. It is sealed by the formed low melting-point metal material layer, for example, the indium (In) layer 32. As shown in FIG.

Next, the manufacturing method of the FED comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated in detail.

First, the phosphor screen 16 is formed in the plate glass used as the front substrate 11. This prepares the plate glass of the same magnitude | size as the front substrate 11, and forms the pattern of a phosphor layer with a plotter machine on this plate glass. The plate glass on which the phosphor pattern is formed and the plate glass for the front substrate are placed on a positioning jig and set on an exposure table, thereby exposing and developing the phosphor screen 16.

Next, on the phosphor screen 16 thus formed, an Al film having a thickness of 2500 nm or less is formed by a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, or the like to form a metal back layer 17.

Then, the electron emission element 22 is formed in the back substrate 12 which consists of insulated substrates, such as plate glass and ceramics. In this case, a matrix-shaped conductive cathode layer is formed on the plate glass, and an insulating film of the silicon dioxide film is formed on the conductive cathode layer by, for example, thermal oxidation, CVD, or sputtering.

Then, the metal film for gate electrode formation, such as molybdenum and niobium, is formed on this insulating film by the sputtering method or the electron beam vapor deposition method, for example. Subsequently, a resist pattern of a shape corresponding to the gate electrode to be formed is formed on the metal film by lithography. Using this resist pattern as a mask, the metal film is etched by a wet etching method or a dry etching method to form the gate electrode 28.

Next, the insulating film is etched by the wet etching or the dry etching method using the resist pattern and the gate electrode as a mask to form the cavity 25. After the resist pattern is removed, electron beam deposition is performed from the direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the back substrate surface, thereby forming a peeling layer made of, for example, aluminum, nickel, and cobalt on the gate electrode 28. Then, for example, molybdenum is deposited by the electron beam evaporation method as a material for forming a cathode from the direction perpendicular to the back substrate surface. Thereby, the electron emission element 22 is formed in each cavity 25. Subsequently, the release layer is removed by the lift-off method together with the metal film formed thereon.

Then, between the periphery of the back board | substrate 12 with which the electron emission element 22 was formed, and the side wall 18 of a rectangular frame shape, it seals with each other by the low melting glass 30 in air | atmosphere. At the same time, the plurality of support members 14 are sealed by the low melting glass 30 on the back substrate 12 in the air.

That is, the pasty frit glass material which first mixed the organic solvent and frit glass, and adjusted the viscosity with binders, such as nitrocellulose, is apply | coated to one of the sealing surfaces of the back substrate 12 and the side wall 18. Subsequently, after the junction part of the back substrate 12 and the side wall 18 to which the frit 30 was apply | coated was contacted with each other, they are put into an electric furnace, and it heats and seals to the temperature more than melting | fusing point of the frit glass 30, and is sealed. The sealing of the back substrate 12 and the side wall 18 in this way is called back substrate-side wall assembly.

Subsequently, the rear substrate 12 and the front substrate 11 are sealed to each other with the side wall 18 interposed therebetween. In this case, as shown in Fig. 4, first, the upper surface of the side wall 18 serving as the sealing surface, and at least one of the outer peripheral edges of the front substrate 11, for example, the outer peripheral portion of the front substrate, Indium as a metal sealing material is applied, and an indium layer 32 is extended to extend over the perimeter of the base layer, respectively. The width of the indium layer 32 is formed about 6 mm.

Moreover, as a metal sealing material, it is preferable to use the low melting-point metal material excellent in adhesiveness and joinability at melting | fusing point about 350 degrees C or less. Indium (In) used in the present embodiment has not only a low melting point of 156.7 ° C., but also excellent characteristics such as low vapor pressure, softness, strong resistance to impact, and no breakage even at low temperatures. Moreover, since it can be directly bonded to glass depending on conditions, it is a material suitable for the objective of this invention.

As the low melting point metal material, an alloy in which elements such as silver, silver, gold, copper, aluminum, zinc, tin and the like are added alone or in combination, instead of In alone. For example, in the eutectic alloy of In 97% -Ag 3%, the melting point is further lowered to 141 ° C, and the mechanical strength can be increased.

Although the expression "melting point" is used in the above description, in an alloy composed of two or more kinds of metals, the melting point may not be determined by one. In this case, in general, the liquidus temperature and the solidus temperature are defined. The former is the temperature at which a portion of the alloy begins to solidify when the temperature is lowered from the liquid state, and the latter is the temperature at which all of the alloys solidify. In this embodiment, the expression melting point is used also in this case for convenience of explanation, and the solidus line temperature is called the melting point.

Next, the front substrate 11 having the indium layer 32 formed on the sealing surface and the back substrate-side wall assembly in which the side wall 18 is sealed on the rear substrate 12 are sealed surfaces as shown in FIG. It is supported by the jig | tool mentioned later in the state which mutually faced mutually and in the state which opposes at predetermined distance, and is thrown into a vacuum processing apparatus.

As shown in Fig. 6, the vacuum processing apparatus 100 includes a load chamber 101, a baking chamber, an electron beam cleaning chamber 102, a cooling chamber 103, a vapor deposition chamber 104 of a getter film, and an assembly chamber, which are formed side by side. 105, a cooling chamber 106, and an unloading chamber 107. Each of these chambers is composed of a processing chamber capable of vacuum processing, and in manufacturing the FED, all the chambers are evacuated. In addition, processing spaces adjacent to each other are connected by a gate valve or the like.

The rear substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate 11 opposed to each other at predetermined intervals are introduced into the load chamber 101, and the inside of the load chamber 101 is vacuumed, and then the baking and electron beam cleaning chamber 102 is disposed. Is sent. In the baking and electron beam cleaning chamber 102, when the high vacuum degree of about 10 ^-5 kPa is reached, the back substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate are heated and baked at a temperature of about 300 ° C, and the surface adsorption gas of each member is baked. Release it sufficiently. At this temperature, the indium layer (melting point about 156 占 폚) 32 is melted.

In the baking and electron beam cleaning chamber 102, the phosphor screen surface of the front substrate 11 and the back substrate 12 are formed from an electron beam generator not shown in the baking and electron beam cleaning chamber 102 simultaneously with heating. An electron beam is irradiated to the electron emission element surface. Since the electron beam is deflected and scanned by a deflection apparatus mounted outside the electron beam emitting device, the electron beam cleaning can be performed on the phosphor screen surface and the entire surface of the electron emitting element surface.

After heating and electron beam cleaning, the back substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate 11 are sent to the cooling chamber 103 and cooled to a temperature of, for example, about 100 ° C. Subsequently, the back substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate 11 are sent to the deposition chamber 104 of the getter film, where a Ba film is deposited as a getter film on the outside of the phosphor screen. This Ba film is prevented from being contaminated with oxygen, carbon, or the like, and can maintain an active state. A getter film is formed by the vapor deposition method which is a conventional method at the temperature of 50 degreeC-150 degreeC.

Next, the opposing rear substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate 11 are sent to the assembly chamber 105, where they are sealed with the indium layer 32 therebetween. That is, as shown in Fig. 7, in the assembly chamber 105 as a vacuum chamber, the front substrate mounting table 110 in which the first heating heater 110a is incorporated is disposed, and the second heating heater 112a is disposed on the upper side thereof. The built-in back substrate fixing jig 112 is opposed. The rear substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate 11 are supported by the rear substrate fixing jig 112 and the front substrate mount 11, respectively, and face each other.

The sealing step is performed by the heaters 110a and 112a at least at a temperature of 350 ° C. or lower, preferably 60, while the inside of the assembly chamber 105 is pressurized and exhausted at a vacuum degree (atm) of 10 ⁻⁵ Pa or lower. It is performed by heating at the temperature of C-300 degreeC.

That is, when the assembly chamber 105 is at a vacuum degree of 10 ⁻⁵ Pa or less, the front substrate 11 is heated to a temperature of about 200 ° C. by the first heating heater 110a, and the indium layer 32 is heated. Melt or soften to liquid phase. In this state, the back substrate-side wall assembly fixed to the back substrate fixing jig 112 is lowered by the up-down direction driving part 114, and the sealing surface of the side wall 18 is indium layer 32 on the front substrate 11. Contact with. In this state, in the granulation chamber 105, indium is gradually cooled to a temperature of, for example, 50 ° C or lower, and solidified. Thereby, the side wall 18 and the front substrate 11 are sealed by the indium layer 32, and the vacuum case 10 is formed.

The vacuum case 10 thus formed is cooled to the normal temperature in the cooling chamber 106 and then discharged from the unload chamber 107 to the atmosphere. FED is completed by the above process.

According to the FED and the manufacturing method which were comprised as mentioned above, by sealing the front board | substrate 11 and the back board | substrate 12 in a vacuum atmosphere, by using baking and electron beam cleaning together, surface adsorption gas of a board | substrate can fully be discharged and a getter The film is also not oxidized and a sufficient gas adsorption effect can be obtained. As a result, a FED capable of maintaining a high degree of vacuum and exerting good light emission characteristics over a long period of time can be obtained. In addition, in the conventional method, a configuration for exhaust (e.g., exhaust tubing), which is essential, can be omitted, whereby a thin and good display characteristic FED can be efficiently produced.

By using indium as a sealing material, foaming at the time of sealing can be suppressed, and it becomes possible to obtain FED with high airtightness and high sealing strength. Therefore, even a large image display device of 50 inches or more can be sealed easily and reliably.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the indium layer 32 was formed only in the sealing surface of the sealing surface of the front substrate 11 and the sealing surface of the side wall 18, it was set as the structure which seals, but the front substrate 11 It is good also as a structure which seals in the state in which the indium layer 32 was formed in both the sealing surface of () and the sealing surface of the side wall 18.

In addition, the indium layer formed on at least one of the sealing surface of the front substrate 11 and the sealing surface of the side wall 18 may be previously heated outside the vacuum processing apparatus to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point, so that the indium layer in a molten state may be disposed. . In this case, the bonding force between the indium and the sealing surface can be strengthened by applying ultrasonic waves.

In addition, since low melting point metal sealing materials such as indium or indium alloys are flexible (low in hardness) even in a non-melting state, the heating temperature of the junction portion is about 60 ° C to 200 ° C below the melting point, and on the indium layer 32 By pressing the side wall 18 of the rear substrate-side wall assembly, the side wall 18 and the front substrate 11 may be joined and sealed.

Further, in the sealing step, the rear substrate-side wall assembly is disposed on the lower side, and the front substrate is placed on the upper side with the sealing surface downward, and the front substrate side is lowered by the vertical drive unit, so that the side wall and the front surface are lowered. It is good also as a structure which seals a board | substrate. In addition, it is good also as a structure which bend | folds and forms one peripheral part of a front board | substrate or a back board | substrate, and these board | substrates are sealed directly without interposing a side wall.

As shown in Fig. 8, a groove 19 may be formed over the entire circumference of the front substrate 11, and an indium layer 32 as a low melting point metal material may be disposed in the groove 19. . The cross-sectional shape of the groove 19 may be square, circular, semicircular or arc. Other configurations and sealing methods are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

According to such a structure, the indium 32 which melted or softened at the time of sealing is accumulated in the groove 19 of the front substrate 11, and is held in a predetermined position without flowing out from the groove 19 to the outside. For this reason, handling of indium becomes simple, and even a large image display device of 50 inches or more can be sealed easily and reliably.

Next, the FED and the manufacturing method thereof according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Incidentally, the same parts as those in the above-described first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Fig. 9, according to the second embodiment, between the back substrate 12 and the side walls 18 constituting the vacuum case 10 are sealed by low melting glass 30 such as frit glass. . In addition, the front substrate 11 and the side wall 18 are sealed by a sealing layer 33 in which a base layer 31 formed on the sealing surface and an indium layer 32 formed between the base layer 18 are fused. It is. The rest of the configuration of the FED is the same as in the first embodiment.

Next, the manufacturing method of FED which concerns on a 2nd Example is demonstrated in detail.

First, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the front substrate 11 on which the phosphor screen 16 and the metal back 17 are formed, the back substrate 12 on which the electron emission elements 22 are formed, and the side wall 18 Prepare. Subsequently, the low-melting-point glass 30 is sealed in air | atmosphere between the periphery of the back board | substrate 12 in which the electron emission element 22 was formed, and the side wall 18 of a rectangular frame shape. At the same time, the plurality of support members 14 are sealed by the low melting glass 30 on the back substrate 12 in the atmosphere.

Thereafter, the back substrate 12 and the front substrate 11 are sealed to each other with the side wall 18 interposed therebetween. In this case, as shown in Figs. 10A and 10B, the base layer 31 is predetermined over the entire circumference on the upper surface of the side wall 18 serving as the sealing surface and the inner peripheral edge of the front substrate 11, respectively. To form a width. In this embodiment, the base layer 31 is formed by applying a silver paste.

Subsequently, indium as a low melting metal sealing material is applied onto each base layer 31, and an indium layer 32 extending over the entire circumference of the base layer is formed, respectively. The width of the indium layer 32 is formed to be narrower than the width of the base layer 31, and both side edges of the indium layer are applied with a predetermined gap from each side edge of the base layer 31, respectively. For example, when the width of the side wall 18 is 9 mm, the width of the base layer 31 is formed to be 7 mm, and the width of the indium layer 32 is about 6 mm.

As the low melting point metal sealing material, an alloy in which elements such as silver, gold, copper, aluminum, zinc, and tin are added alone or in combination, instead of the indium layer (In) alone. For example, in the process alloy of In 97% -Ag 3%, the melting point is further lowered to 141 ° C and the mechanical strength can be increased.

As the base layer 31, a material having good wettability and airtightness with respect to the metal sealing material, that is, a material having high affinity with respect to the metal sealing material is used. In addition to the silver paste described above, metal pastes such as gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt and copper can be used. In addition to the metal paste, a metal plating layer such as silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt or copper, a vapor deposition film, or a glass material layer may be used as the base layer 31.

Here, filling of indium on the base layer 31 formed on the sealing surface, that is, application of indium is performed using the following sealing material filling apparatus.

As shown in Fig. 11, this sealing material filling device is provided with a support 40 having a flat mounting surface 40a. On the mounting surface, a flat rectangular plate-shaped hot plate 42 and a sealed plate on the hot plate are provided. A positioning mechanism 44 for positioning water, a filling head 46 for filling a sealant on the sealed object, and a head moving mechanism 48 for moving the filling head relative to the sealed object are formed.

The hot plate 42 is mounted with the back substrate 12 or the front substrate 11 sealed with the side wall 18 described above as a sealed object. The hot plate 42 also functions as a heating means for heating the mounted object to be sealed.

The positioning mechanism 44 includes, for example, three fixed positioning projections 50 each contacting two orthogonal sides of the front substrate 11 mounted on the hot plate 42 and the front substrate 11. It has two push pins 52 which contact each other two sides of, and elastically presses the front board | substrate 11 toward the positioning projection 50, respectively.

As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the filling head 46 is a nozzle for storing the storage portion 54 storing molten indium and the molten indium sent from the reservoir to the sealing surface of the substrate 11. 55 and an ultrasonic vibrator 56 fixed to an outer surface of the nozzle 55 and functioning as an ultrasonic wave generator. In addition, a supply pipe 58 for supplying purge gas is connected to the filling head 46, and a heater unit 60 for heating the nozzle 55 is formed.

The head moving mechanism 48 is, as shown in Fig. 11, the front substrate 11 in which the charging head 46 is perpendicular to the mounting surface 40a of the support 40, that is, mounted on the hot plate 42. The Z-axis driving robot 62 freely supported by the lifting and lowering drive along the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis, and the Z-axis driving robot 62 is moved in the Y-axis direction parallel to the short side of the front substrate 11. Therefore, the Y-axis drive robot 64 supported by the reciprocating drive freely is provided. In addition, the Y-axis drive robot 64 is an X-axis direction parallel to the long side of the front substrate 11 by the X-axis drive robot 66 and the auxiliary rail 67 fixed on the mounting surface 40a. It is supported freely along the reciprocating drive.

When indium is applied using the above-mentioned sealing material filling device, as shown in Fig. 11, the front substrate 11 is mounted on the hot plate 42 with the sealing surface upward, and the positioning mechanism 44 is mounted. By positioning at a predetermined position. Subsequently, as shown in Fig. 12, after setting the filling head 46 in which the indium in the molten state is stored at the desired filling start position, the sealing surface of the front substrate 11 by the head moving mechanism 48 is set. Here, the charging head 46 is moved at a predetermined speed along the base layer 31 formed on the front substrate 11. The molten indium is continuously charged from the nozzle 55 onto the base layer 32 while the filling head 46 is moved, and an indium layer 32 continuously extending along the base layer is formed over the perimeter. do. At this time, the ultrasonic vibrator 56 is operated at the same time and filled on the base layer 31 while applying ultrasonic waves to the molten indium.

Here, the ultrasonic waves are applied in a direction perpendicular to the sealing surface of the front substrate 11, that is, the base layer surface, and the frequency of the ultrasonic waves is set to 30 to 40 Hz, for example.

Thus, by filling indium while applying ultrasonic waves, the wettability of indium to the sealing surface or the base layer 31 is improved, and it is possible to satisfactorily fill the indium at a desired position. Further, molten indium can be continuously filled along the base layer 31, and it becomes possible to form a seamlessly extending indium layer along the base layer. Further, by filling molten indium while applying ultrasonic waves, a portion of indium can diffuse into the surface portion of the base layer 31 at the time of filling to form an alloy layer.

Moreover, in the process of filling indium, by adjusting either the oscillation output of the said ultrasonic wave or the discharge hole diameter of indium of the nozzle 55, the discharge amount of indium is suppressed and the thickness, width, etc. of the indium layer formed, etc. Can be adjusted.

On the other hand, on the sealing surface of the side wall 18 sealed to the back substrate 12, in this case, when the indium is filled on the base layer 31, the back substrate 12 is similarly to the hot panel of the sealing material filling apparatus. Positioned on 42 and continuously filled with molten indium along the base layer 31 while applying ultrasonic waves by the filling head 46, and indium continuously extending along the base layer 31. Layer 32 is formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the side wall 18 is sealed to the front substrate 11 and the back substrate 12 on which the base layer 31 and the indium layer 32 are formed on the sealing surface. The back substrate-side wall assembly in which the base layer 31 and the indium layer 32 are formed on the upper surface of the side wall is supported by a jig or the like in a state where the sealing surfaces face each other and face each other at a predetermined distance, It puts into one vacuum processing apparatus 100.

As in the first embodiment, in the baking and electron beam cleaning chamber 102 of the vacuum processing apparatus 100, the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate-side wall at the time when a high degree of vacuum of about 10 ⁻⁵ Pa is reached. The assembly is heated to a temperature of about 300 ° C. and baked to sufficiently discharge the surface adsorption gas of each member.

At this temperature, the indium layer (melting point about 156 占 폚) 32 is melted. However, since the indium layer 32 is formed on the base layer 31 having a high affinity, indium does not flow and is retained on the base layer 31 so that the indium layer 32 or the back substrate may be formed. Outflow to the outside or to the phosphor screen 16 side is prevented.

After heating and electron beam cleaning, the back substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate 11 are cooled in the cooling chamber 103 to a temperature of, for example, about 100 ° C. Subsequently, in the deposition chamber 104, a Ba film is deposited as a getter film on the outside of the phosphor screen.

Next, the back substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate 11 are sent to the assembly chamber 105 where it is heated to 200 ° C. so that the indium layer 32 is melted or softened again in the liquid phase. In this state, the front substrate 11 and the side wall 18 are bonded to each other and pressurized at a predetermined pressure, and then indium is cooled to solidify. Thereby, the front substrate 11 and the side wall 18 are sealed by the sealing layer 33 which fuse | blended the indium layer 32 and the base layer 31, and the vacuum case 10 is formed.

The vacuum case 10 thus formed is cooled to the normal temperature in the cooling chamber 106 and then discharged from the unload chamber 107. FED is completed by the above process.

According to the FED and the manufacturing method which were comprised as mentioned above, by sealing the front board | substrate 11 and the back board | substrate 12 in a vacuum atmosphere, it is possible to discharge | release the surface adsorption gas of a board | substrate sufficiently by using baking and electron beam cleaning together, and a getter The film is also not oxidized and a sufficient gas adsorption effect can be obtained. Thereby, the FED which can maintain high vacuum degree can be obtained.

Moreover, by using indium as a sealing material, foaming at the time of sealing can be suppressed, and it becomes possible to obtain FED with high airtightness and high sealing strength. At the same time, by forming the base layer 31 under the indium layer 32, even when indium is melted in the sealing process, it is possible to prevent indium from leaking out and to hold it at a predetermined position. Therefore, the handling of indium is simplified, and even an opposite image display device of 50 inches or more can be easily and reliably sealed.

In addition, by filling indium while applying ultrasonic waves, the wettability of indium to the sealing surface or the base layer 31 is improved, and even when indium is used as the metal sealing material, it is possible to satisfactorily fill indium at a desired position. Further, molten indium can be continuously filled along the base layer 31, and it becomes possible to form a seamlessly extending indium layer along the base layer. In the case where the base layer 31 is used as in the present embodiment, by melting molten indium while applying ultrasonic waves, a portion of the indium diffuses into the surface portion of the base layer 31 at the time of filling to form an alloy layer. can do. For this reason, even when indium melts at the time of sealing, the flow of indium can be prevented more reliably, and it can hold | maintain in predetermined position.

From the above, the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus which can handle a metal sealing material easily and can seal easily and reliably in a vacuum atmosphere can be obtained.

In the second embodiment described above, the base layer 31 and the indium layer 32 are formed on both the sealing surface of the front substrate 11 and the sealing surface of the side wall 18. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, only one of the adhesive surfaces may be sealed in a state in which the base layer 31 and the indium layer 32 are formed only on the sealing surface of the front substrate 11.

Also, as in the first embodiment described above, even when the indium layer is filled directly on the sealing surface of the substrate or the side wall without using the base layer, the melting is performed while applying ultrasonic waves using the above-mentioned sealing material filling device. Indium may be charged. Thereby, the wettability of indium to a sealing surface can be improved and indium can be continuously filled in a desired position.

In the second embodiment, the rear substrate 12 and the side wall 18 may be sealed by the sealing layer 33 in which the same base layer 31 and indium layer 32 are fused together. It is good also as a structure which bend | folds and forms one peripheral part of a front board | substrate or a back board | substrate, and joins these board | substrates directly without interposing a side wall. The indium layer 32 is formed to have a width smaller than the width of the base layer 31 over the entire circumference, but at least a portion of the base layer 31 is formed to have a width smaller than the width of the base layer. If present, it becomes possible to prevent the flow of indium.

Next, the FED and the manufacturing method thereof according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same parts as those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Fig. 15, according to the third embodiment, between the back substrate 12 and the side walls 18 constituting the vacuum case 10 are sealed by low melting glass 30 such as frit glass. . The front substrate 11 and the side wall 18 are sealed by a sealing layer 33 in which a base layer 31 formed on the sealing surface and an indium layer 32 formed on the base layer are fused together. The rest of the configuration of the FED is the same as in the first embodiment.

Next, the manufacturing method of FED which concerns on a 3rd Example is demonstrated in detail.

First, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the front substrate 11 on which the phosphor screen 16 and the metal back 17 are formed, the back substrate 12 on which the electron emission elements 22 are formed, and the side wall 18 Prepare. Subsequently, the low-melting-point glass 30 is sealed in air | atmosphere between the periphery of the back board | substrate 12 in which the electron emission element 22 was formed, and the side wall 18 of a rectangular frame shape. At the same time, the plurality of support members 14 are sealed by the low melting glass 30 on the back substrate 12 in the air.

Thereafter, the back substrate 12 and the front substrate 11 are sealed to each other with the side wall 18 interposed therebetween. In this case, as shown in Figs. 16A, 16B, and 17, first, the base layer 31 is formed over the entire circumference of the inner peripheral edge of the sealing surface 11a on the front substrate 11 side. This sealing surface 11a forms the rectangular frame shape corresponding to the upper surface of the side wall 18 used as the sealing surface 18a by the side of the back substrate 12, and extends along the periphery of the inner surface of the front substrate 11. The sealing surface 11a has two pairs of straight portions and four corner portions that face each other, and has substantially the same dimensions and the same width as the upper surface of the side wall 18.

In addition, the width of the base layer 31 is formed to be slightly narrower than the width of the sealing surface 11a. In the present embodiment, the base layer 31 is formed by applying a silver paste.

Subsequently, indium is applied as a metal sealing material on the base layer 31 to form an indium layer 32 continuously extended over the entire circumference of the base layer 31. At this time, a portion of the indium layer 32 extending along each straight portion of the sealing surface 11a is formed in a shape in which a pattern of a ramen structure shape having a plurality of acute angled portions 32a is continuously arranged side by side at a predetermined pitch. do. Further, the indium layer 32 is formed to have a substantially constant width, and as a result, both edges of the indium layer 32 also have a number of bent portions. The indium layer 32 is applied inside the width of the base layer 31.

The metal sealing material and the base layer can use the same material as the above-mentioned embodiment.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 18, the front substrate 11 having the base layer 31 and the indium layer 32 formed on the sealing surface 11a, and the sidewalls 18 sealed to the back substrate 12. The back substrate-side wall assembly is supported by a jig or the like in a state in which the sealing surfaces 11a and 18a face each other and face each other at a predetermined distance, and are put into the vacuum processing apparatus 100 described above.

As in the first embodiment, in the baking and electron beam cleaning chamber 102 of the vacuum processing apparatus 100, the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate-side wall at the time when a high degree of vacuum of about 10 ⁻⁵ Pa is reached. The assembly is heated to a temperature of about 300 ° C. and baked to sufficiently discharge the surface adsorption gas of each member.

At this temperature, the indium layer (melting point about 156 占 폚) 32 is melted. However, as described above, since the indium layer 32 is formed in a pattern having a plurality of bent portions 32, the flow of indium is suppressed even when melted. At the same time, since the indium layer 32 is formed on the high affinity base layer 31, the molten indium does not flow and is retained on the base layer 31, and the electron emission element 22 side or the back side is held. Outflow to the outside of the substrate or to the phosphor screen 16 side is prevented.

After heating and electron beam cleaning, the back substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate 11 are cooled in the cooling chamber 103 to a temperature of, for example, about 100 ° C. Subsequently, in the deposition chamber 104, a Ba film is deposited as a getter film on the outside of the phosphor screen.

Next, the back substrate-side wall assembly and the front substrate 11 are sent to the assembly chamber 105 where it is heated to 200 ° C. so that the indium layer 32 is melted or softened again in the liquid phase. Here, in the same manner as above, the indium layer 32 is formed in a pattern having a plurality of bends 32a and is formed on the high affinity base layer 31, so that the molten indium flows. It is retained on the base layer 31 without. In this state, the front substrate 11 and the side wall 18 are bonded to each other and pressurized to a predetermined pressure, and then indium is cooled and solidified. As a result, the front substrate 11 and the side wall 18 are sealed by the sealing layer 33 in which the indium layer 32 and the base layer 31 are fused together, and the vacuum case 10 is formed.

The vacuum case 10 thus formed is cooled to the normal temperature in the cooling chamber 106 and then discharged from the unload chamber 107. FED is completed by the above process.

According to the FED and the manufacturing method which were comprised as mentioned above, sealing the front board | substrate 11 and the back board | substrate 12 in a vacuum atmosphere can use together baking and electron beam cleaning, and can fully release the surface adsorption gas of a board | substrate. In addition, the getter film is not oxidized and a sufficient gas adsorption effect can be obtained. Thereby, the FED which can maintain high vacuum degree can be obtained.

Moreover, by using indium as a sealing material, foaming at the time of sealing can be suppressed, and it becomes possible to obtain FED with high airtightness and high sealing strength. In addition, since the indium layer 32 formed on the sealing surface is formed in a pattern having a plurality of bent portions 32a, even when indium is melted in the sealing process, the outflow of indium can be suppressed and retained at a predetermined position. Can be. Therefore, the handling of indium is simplified, and even a large image display device of 50 inches or larger can be easily and reliably sealed.

At the same time, according to the present embodiment, since the indium layer 32 is formed on the high affinity base layer 31, even when indium is melted in the sealing step, inflow of indium is more reliably prevented. Easy and reliable sealing can be realized.

In the above-described embodiment, the indium layer 32 has a structure having a plurality of bent portions over the entire length of the portion extending along each straight portion of the sealing portion 11a, but along the straight portion of the sealing surface 11a. If at least a part of the extended portion has a bent portion or a curved portion, the effect of suppressing the flow of molten indium can be obtained as in the above embodiment.

In addition, the pattern shape of the indium layer 32 is not limited to the ramen structure shape, The same effect can be acquired even if it is set as the shape shown to FIG. 19A-19D. In other words, the indium layer 32 is a continuous crank shape having a saw blade-shaped pattern in which the angle θ of the bent portion 32 is an acute angle as shown in Fig. 19A, and a bent portion 32 that is substantially perpendicular, as shown in Fig. 19B. The pattern, as shown in Fig. 19C, may be a substantially triangular continuous pattern. In addition, the pattern shape of the indium layer 32 is not limited to the combination of a curved part, As shown in FIG. 19D, it is good also as a wave-shaped pattern which has many curved part 32b, or the pattern which combined the curved part and the curved part. It is also possible to.

On the other hand, in the above-described embodiments and various modifications, the indium layer 32 has a shape having a constant width, but has portions having different widths in portions extending along the straight portions of the sealing surface 11a, It is good also as a shape in which a side edge forms an unevenness | corrugation.

For example, at each side edge of the indium layer 32, a rectangular convex portion 40 as shown in Figs. 20A and 20C, or an arc-shaped convex portion as shown in Figs. 20B and 20D ( 40 may be configured to be spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the indium layer.

In this case, as shown in Figs. 20A and 20B, the convex portions 40 and 41 formed on one side edge of the indium layer 32 are different from the convex portions 40 and 41 formed on the other side edge. The convex portions may be disposed to be displaced from each other with respect to the longitudinal direction of the indium layer, as shown in FIGS. 20C and 20D.

Even when such an indium layer 32 is used, the flow when the indium is melted can be suppressed. The shape of the convex portion is not limited to the rectangular shape and the arc shape, and can be arbitrarily selected. Moreover, when the convex part is formed in the at least one side edge of the indium layer 32, the flow inhibitory effect of indium can be acquired.

In the third embodiment described above, the base layer is formed on the sealing surface and the indium layer is formed thereon. However, the indium layer may be directly filled on the sealing surface without using the base layer. Also in this case, by forming the above-described bent portion or curved portion in the indium layer, or by forming the side edge shape having irregularities, the flow of indium can be suppressed and the same effect as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained. In addition, as shown in the second embodiment, the indium may be applied while applying ultrasonic waves.

On the other hand, in the above-described third embodiment, the base layer 31 and the indium layer 32 are formed in a sealed state only on the sealing surface 11a of the front substrate 11, but the side wall 18 is sealed. Only the surface 18a or as shown in FIG. 21, the base layer 31 and the indium layer 32 are formed on both the sealing surface 11a of the front substrate 11 and the sealing surface 18a of the side wall 18. It is good also as a structure which seals in the state which formed ().

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, you may seal between the back substrate and the side wall with the sealing layer which fuse | blended the same base layer 31 and the indium layer 32 as mentioned above. In addition, it is good also as a structure which bend | folds and forms one peripheral part of a front substrate or a back substrate, and joins these board | substrates directly without interposing a side wall.

Incidentally, in the above-described embodiment, a field emission type electron emission element is used as the electron emission element, but is not limited to this, and other elements such as a pn type cold cathode element, a surface conduction electron emission element, and a microchip type electron emission element may be used. You may use an electron emitting element. The present invention is also applicable to other image display devices such as plasma display panel (PDP) and electro luminescence (EL).

According to the present invention configured as described above, by sealing the substrates constituting the case using a metal sealing material, it can be easily sealed in a vacuum atmosphere, and at a low temperature that does not cause thermal damage to an electron emitting device or the like. It can be sealed. At the same time, generation of bubbles in the sealing material and the like can be prevented, and the airtightness and the sealing strength can be improved. Thereby, the image display apparatus and its manufacturing method which improved the image quality can be provided.

Claims (69)

A case having a back substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite the back substrate, and a plurality of electron emission elements formed in the case, And said front substrate and said back substrate are sealed directly or indirectly at a peripheral portion by a low melting metal sealing material. 2. The case of claim 1, wherein the case has a sidewall disposed between the periphery of the front substrate and the periphery of the back substrate, wherein the front substrate and the back substrate are interposed by the low melting point metal material with the sidewall therebetween. It is sealed, The image display apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein the side wall is a frame-shaped wall. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the low melting point metal sealing material has a melting point of 350 deg. An image display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the low melting point metal sealing material is indium or an alloy containing indium. A case having a back substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite the back substrate, a phosphor screen formed on an inner surface of the front substrate, and a plurality of phosphors formed on an inner surface of the back substrate and emitting electron beams on the phosphor screen. An electron emission device, And said front substrate and said back substrate are sealed directly or indirectly in a peripheral portion by a low melting metal sealing material. And a case having a back substrate and the front substrate disposed opposite the back substrate, and a plurality of electron emission elements formed in the case. Disposing a low melting metal sealing material along a sealing surface between the back substrate and the front substrate; And a step of heating the back substrate and the front substrate in a vacuum atmosphere to melt the low melting point metal sealing material to seal the back substrate and the front substrate directly or indirectly. . 8. The method of claim 7, wherein a frame-shaped sidewall is disposed between the periphery of the front substrate and the periphery of the back substrate, and the front substrate and the back substrate are sealed by the low melting point metal sealing material with the side wall interposed therebetween. The manufacturing method of the image display apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 8. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said low melting point metal sealing material has a melting point of 350 DEG C or lower. 10. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said low melting metal sealing material is indium or an alloy containing indium. 8. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the vacuum degree of the vacuum atmosphere is 10 ^-3 Pa or less. 8. The sealing process according to claim 7, wherein the sealing step comprises: an exhausting step of heating the vacuum atmosphere at a temperature of 250 ° C or higher and exhausting the sealing surface between the front substrate and the rear substrate after the exhausting step at a lower temperature than the exhausting step; And a step of sealing by the low melting point metal sealing material and returning the case sealed by the low melting point metal sealing material to atmospheric pressure. 13. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 12, wherein sealing with said low melting metal sealing material is performed at a temperature of 60 to 300 deg. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, in the sealing step, the front substrate and the back substrate are moved relative to each other for sealing. The image display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the rear substrate and the side wall are sealed in advance to form an assembly, and in the sealing step, the assembly and the front substrate are moved relative to each other to manufacture the image display apparatus. Way. The process of Claim 7 which forms the holding part which hold | maintains a low melting metal sealing material in at least one of the sealing surface between the said front substrate and the said back substrate, and arrange | positions the said low melting metal sealing material to the said holding part. Process of manufacturing an image display apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 17. The image display according to claim 16, further comprising the step of forming a groove in at least one of the sealing surfaces between the front substrate and the back substrate, and disposing the low melting metal sealing material in the groove. Method of manufacturing the device. The process of Claim 16 which forms the layer which consists of a material with high affinity with the said low melting metal sealing material on the at least one sealing surface between the said front substrate and the said back substrate, and the said low melting point on the said layer. And a step of disposing a metal sealing material. 19. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the material having high affinity for the low melting point metal material is nickel, gold, silver, copper, or an alloy thereof. A case having a rear substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite the rear substrate, and a plurality of image display elements formed inside the case, And the front substrate and the back substrate are formed on the base layer and the base layer, and are sealed directly or indirectly by the base layer and the heterogeneous metal sealant layer. A case having a rear substrate, a front substrate disposed opposite the rear substrate, a sidewall disposed between the periphery of the front substrate and the periphery of the rear substrate, and a plurality of image display elements formed inside the case; At least one of the front substrate and the side wall, and the rear substrate and the side wall is formed on the base layer and the base layer, and is sealed by the base layer and the heterogeneous metal sealing material layer. The image display apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the metal sealing material layer is formed of a low melting point metal material having a melting point of 350 deg. 23. An image display apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the low melting point metal material is indium or an alloy containing indium. The image display apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the base layer is formed of a metal paste containing at least one of silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and copper. The image display apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the base layer is formed of a metal plating layer or a vapor deposition film containing at least one of silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and copper, or a glass material. 21. The image display device according to claim 20, wherein the width of the metal sealing material layer is formed to be equal to or less than the width of the base layer in at least a portion of the base layer. A case having a rear substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite the rear substrate; A phosphor screen formed on an inner surface of the front substrate; An electron emission source formed on the rear substrate and emitting an electron beam to the phosphor screen to emit a phosphor screen, And the front substrate and the back substrate are formed on the base layer and the base layer, and are sealed directly or indirectly by the base layer and the heterogeneous metal sealant layer. It is a manufacturing method of the image display apparatus provided with the case which has a back substrate and the front substrate arrange | positioned facing the said back substrate, and the some image display element formed in the inside of the said case, Forming a base layer along a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate; Forming the base layer and a heterogeneous metal sealing material layer on the base layer; And heating the back substrate and the front substrate in a vacuum atmosphere to melt the metal encapsulant layer to seal the back substrate and the front substrate directly or indirectly. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the metal sealing material layer is formed of a low melting point metal material having a melting point of 350 ° C or lower. 29. The manufacturing method of an image displaying apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said low melting point metal material is indium or an alloy containing indium. 29. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said base layer is formed of a metal paste containing at least one of silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and copper. 29. The method of manufacturing an image display apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the base layer is formed of a metal plating layer or a vapor deposition film containing at least one of silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and copper, or a glass material. 29. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 28, wherein at least a portion of the base layer is formed with the metal sealing material layer having a width equal to or less than the width of the base layer. It is a manufacturing method of the image display apparatus provided with the case which has a back substrate and the front substrate arrange | positioned facing the said back substrate, and the image display element formed in the inside of the said case, Filling a molten metal sealing material while applying ultrasonic waves to a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate; And a step of heating and melting the metal sealing material in a vacuum atmosphere after the filling of the metal sealing material, and sealing the back substrate and the front substrate directly or indirectly at the sealing surface. Way. A case having a back substrate, a front substrate disposed opposite the back substrate, a case disposed between the periphery of the front substrate and the periphery of the back substrate and sealed to the front substrate and the back substrate; A plurality of image display elements formed inside the case, At least one of a sealing surface between the front substrate and the side wall and a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the side wall is a manufacturing method of an image display device sealed by a metal sealing material layer, Filling the molten metal sealant with applying ultrasonic waves to the at least one sealing surface; And after filling said metal sealing material, heating and melting said metal sealing material in a vacuum atmosphere to seal said back substrate, front substrate, and side walls at said sealing surface. 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of filling the metal sealant comprises a step of continuously filling the molten metal sealant along the sealing surface while applying ultrasonic waves and forming a metal sealant layer extending along the sealing surface. The manufacturing method of the image display apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 35. The method of manufacturing an image display apparatus according to claim 34, wherein in the step of filling the metal sealing material, ultrasonic waves are applied in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sealing surface. 35. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of forming the metal sealant and the heterogeneous base layer on the sealing surface, and after the base layer is formed, the metal sealant is filled on the base layer. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the base layer is formed by applying a metal paste containing at least one of silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and copper. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the base layer is formed of a metal plating layer or a vapor deposition film containing at least one of silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and copper, or a glass material. 35. The image display apparatus according to claim 34, wherein in the step of filling the metal sealing material, the amount of discharge of the metal sealing material is controlled by either the oscillation output of the ultrasonic wave or the discharge hole diameter of the metal sealing material. Manufacturing method. 35. The method of manufacturing an image display apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the metal sealant uses a low melting point metal material having a melting point of 350 deg. 43. The manufacturing method of an image displaying apparatus according to claim 42, wherein said low melting point metal material is indium or an alloy containing indium. It is a sealing material filling apparatus which fills a metal sealing material with respect to a sealing surface in the manufacturing method of the image display apparatus of Claim 34, A support for positioning and supporting a sealed object having the sealing surface; It has a storage part which stored the said molten metal sealing material, the nozzle which fills the said sealing surface with the molten metal sealing material sent from the said storage part, and the ultrasonic wave generation part which applies an ultrasonic wave to the molten metal sealing material filled from the nozzle to the said sealing surface. With charging head, And a head moving mechanism for moving the filling head relative to the sealing surface. A case having a rear substrate, and a front substrate disposed opposite to the rear substrate and sealed directly or indirectly to the rear substrate by a metal sealant, and a plurality of image display elements formed inside the case, The metal sealing material is formed on a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate, and forms a metal sealing material layer extending over the entire circumference of the sealing surface, and the metal sealing material layer has a straight portion of the sealing surface. And a curved portion or a curved portion in at least a portion of the portion extending along. 46. The image display device according to claim 45, wherein the bent portion is formed at an acute angle. 46. The image display device according to claim 45, wherein the bent portion is formed at substantially right angles. 46. The image display device according to claim 45, wherein the metal sealing material layer has a substantially constant width, and is formed in a saw blade shape in a portion extending along a straight portion of the sealing surface. 46. The image display device according to claim 45, wherein the metal sealing material layer has a substantially constant width and is formed in a plurality of continuous crank shapes in a portion extending along a straight portion of the sealing surface. 46. The image display device according to claim 45, wherein the metal sealing material layer has a substantially constant width, and is formed in a pattern having a continuous ramen structure in a portion extending along a straight portion of the sealing surface. 46. The image display apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the metal sealing material layer is formed to have a substantially constant width, and is formed in a wave shape in a portion extending along a straight portion of the sealing surface. A case having a rear substrate, and a front substrate disposed opposite to the rear substrate and sealed directly or indirectly to the rear substrate by a metal sealant, and a plurality of image display elements formed inside the case, The metal sealing material is formed on a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate, and forms a metal sealing material layer extending over the entire circumference of the sealing surface, and the metal sealing material layer has a straight portion of the sealing surface. An image display device comprising a side edge having irregularities in at least a portion of the portion extending along. The image display device according to claim 52, wherein the metal sealing material layer has a portion having a different width in a portion extending along a straight portion of the sealing surface. 54. The image display device according to claim 53, wherein the metal sealant layer has a pair of side edges extending along a straight portion of the sealing surface, and at least one side edge has a plurality of convex portions spaced apart from each other. . 53. The image display device according to claim 52, wherein the metal sealant layer has a pair of side edges extending along a straight portion of the sealing surface, and each side edge has a plurality of convex portions spaced apart from each other. 56. The image display according to claim 55, wherein the convex portions formed at one side edge of the metal sealing material layer are arranged to be shifted from each other in the longitudinal direction of the metal sealing material layer with respect to the convex portions formed at the other side edge. Device. The image display apparatus according to claim 55, wherein the convex portions formed at one side edge of the metal sealing material layer are disposed at positions facing the convex portions formed at the other side edge, respectively. The image display device according to claim 45, wherein the metal sealing material layer is formed of a low melting point metal material having a melting point of 350 deg. 59. An image display apparatus according to claim 58, wherein the low melting point metal material is indium or an alloy containing indium. 46. The image display device according to claim 45, wherein the sealing member is formed on the sealing surface and has a metal sealing material layer and a heterogeneous base layer, wherein the metal sealing material layer is formed on the base layer. 61. The image display device according to claim 60, wherein the base layer is formed of a metal paste containing at least one of silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and copper. 63. The image display device according to claim 61, wherein the base layer is formed of a metal plating layer or a vapor deposition film containing at least one of silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, and copper, or a glass material. A case having a rear substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite to the rear substrate and sealed directly or indirectly to the rear substrate by a metal sealant; A phosphor screen formed on an inner surface of the front substrate; An electron emission source formed on the rear substrate and emitting an electron beam to the phosphor screen to emit a phosphor screen, The metal sealing material is formed on a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate, and forms a metal sealing material layer extending over the entire circumference of the sealing surface, and the metal sealing material layer has a straight portion of the sealing surface. And at least a portion of the portion extending along the curved portion or the curved portion. An image display comprising a case having a back substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite to the back substrate and sealed directly or indirectly to the back substrate by a metal sealant, and an image display having a plurality of image display elements formed inside the case. Method of manufacturing the device, Filling a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate and forming a metal sealing material layer extending over the entire circumference of the sealing surface; After the metal sealing material is filled, the metal sealing material is heated and melted in a vacuum atmosphere to seal the back substrate and the front substrate directly or indirectly at the sealing surface, In the step of filling the metal sealing material, a bent portion or a curved portion is formed in at least a part of the metal sealing material layer which extends along a straight portion of the sealing surface. An image display comprising a case having a back substrate and a front substrate disposed opposite to the back substrate and sealed directly or indirectly to the back substrate by a metal sealant, and an image display having a plurality of image display elements formed inside the case. Method of manufacturing the device, Filling a sealing surface between the rear substrate and the front substrate and forming a metal sealing material layer extending over the entire circumference of the sealing surface; After the metal sealing material is filled, the metal sealing material is heated and melted in a vacuum atmosphere to seal the back substrate and the front substrate directly or indirectly at the sealing surface, In the step of filling the metal sealing material, the metal sealing material is filled so that at least a part of the portion of the metal sealing material layer extending along the straight portion of the sealing surface forms a side edge having irregularities. Method of manufacturing the device. 65. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 64, wherein the metal sealing material layer is formed of a low melting point metal material having a melting point of 350 deg. 67. The manufacturing method of an image display apparatus according to claim 66, wherein said low melting point metal material is indium or an alloy containing indium. 66. The method of manufacturing an image display apparatus according to claim 65, wherein the metal sealing material layer is formed of a low melting point metal material having a melting point of 350 deg. 69. The method of manufacturing an image display apparatus according to claim 68, wherein the low melting point metal material is indium or an alloy containing indium.